Crimson Promises
by rem3017
Summary: A "what if" Chao Lingshen had not given Negi the Casseopeia to save Asuna after her death in the Anime. Chapter 3, the events after the Negi/Eva fight, is up.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Negima or any of the characters involved in the story.

This story mainly follows the story as told by the anime. It follows a "what if Chao Lingshen hadn't given Negi the Casseopeia after Asuna's death." Because the anime did not do as great a job in the telling of the story as the manga, you may notice a few points in the anime story that have been changed.

This is my first attempt at a fan fic, comment please.

* * *

A lone figure walks the early morning halls of Mahora Academy silently listening to the excited voices of the young students mid-lesson. It was hard to believe that anyone could be cheerful after the endless amount of tears and cries of sorrow following the events of the previous week. The middle-aged man ran a hand through his carefully groomed hair silently reminding himself of the foolishness in believing the world would stop because of a single tragedy. Despite his personal feelings and almost overwhelming sadness, the man had not shed a single tear. The students, the teachers, Mahora needed good 'ole Death Specs to remain a pillar of strength and hope in the face of this tragedy.

The man finally came to a stop in front of a class marked as 2-A. He could hear the cheery sounds of the students inside along with the usual energetic voice of the child teacher. This class and its residents held many joyful memories for him, however he could not bring himself to smile. He knew that under the cheerful façade, time had frozen for 2-A. The hearts of many of the students had begun to cope and heal. He was not worried about them, they would be fine in time. The man was well aware of the child teachers tragic past and his never-ending search for his long lost father. He had always admired the boy for his strength and courage. Unfortunately he felt it was different this time, he did not believe the boy would be able to persevere so easily. The man knew how much the child cared for her. He knew they were very close, even if she would never admit it. He also knew that the child had not shed a single tear for his friend, not in public at least. He knew the child refused to return to his room and instead opted to cry himself to sleep in the world tree that overlooked the school. He knew all this and yet he understood that there was absolutely nothing he could do to comfort the child's heart.

The loss of innocence at such a young age is very tragic.

**Knock knock**

The man slides the door to the classroom open, "Yo Negi-kun."

"Oh, Takamichi! Good morning. How can I help you?" asks the child enthusiastically.

Takahata motions towards the hallway, "Can I speak with you for a second?"

"Sure." Negi places his textbook onto his desk. "Asu- I mean Sakurazaki-san, please read the next passage." Negi quickly steps outside trying very hard to look away from the worried stares of his students. It was not the first time he had made that same mistake.

Takahata slides the door to the classroom shut, staring quietly at Negi for what seemed like an eternity.

Negi looks down at his shoes trying to avoid his colleague's piercing gaze of worry. "Di..did you need something Takamichi?"

"Negi-kun why haven't you taken any time off to recover from Asuna-san's death?"

The child flinches at the mention of his former student's name. He begins to nervously look around the hallway continuing to avoid the ubiquitous glare he knew was fixed on him. "B…be…because my students need me." Negi felt as though he would laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of his excuse. If he did not believe his own defense he knew the "Almighty Takahata-Sensei" would never buy it. He could hear Takahata continue to lecture, but none of it mattered. All he could do was wonder when it was he had begun to feel as though everything around him, everything he once valued, his goals, his hopes, his dreams had become so pointless.

_You're weak_

Negi's head began to frantically search the hallway for the location of the voice.

"Negi-kun?"

_You're weak_

Negi's movements begin to appear much more clumsy and erratic.

"Negi-kun…Negi-kun!" Takahata places a firm grasp onto the child's weary shoulders, finally regaining his attention. "Negi-kun what's wrong with you? Everyone is worried. If you refuse to help yourself, at least let your friends help you!"

_She died because you're weak Negi Springfield_

Enraged and confused, Negi clenches his teeth and hardens his grip on his ever-present magic staff.

Takahata suddenly notices the change in the feeling of the small hallway. The anger, the pure unbridled hate burned at his skin and made his body feel heavy.

"_Rastel_…" the boy mutters under his breath.

Takahata takes a step back quickly sliding his right hand into his pocket.

The boy meets Takahata's glare with eyes devoid of anything but the deepest sorrow. "_Maskil_…" he continues.

Before either of them could make another move, the door of the nearly forgotten classroom slides open. Yue Ayase quickly rushes out of the classroom, "Excuse me Negi-sensei! I had to go to the…" The young girl's voice trails off as she notices the awkward position of the two teachers. "Is…everything ok sensei?"

"It's nothing! It's nothing!" Negi responds while nervously laughing.

Yue hesitates for a second wondering whether she should look into the questionable situation any further. She quickly decides against it remembering why she had left the class in the first place. The young girl bows excusing herself before once again running toward her destination.

Negi breathes a sigh of relief as Yue turns the corner. "Excuse me Takamichi, my class is waiting for me." The boy turns towards the door of his class, stopping for a moment to regain his composure.

Takahata had been through much in his time with the Thousand Master. He had faced many villains and witnessed many horrors but nothing he had ever encountered could give him the strength to comfort this frail child. He watches helplessly as Negi quickly scurries into his room and disappears into the commotion of his students. He relaxes his stance and pulls his hand from his pocket noticing for the first time that his hand had been trembling. Slowly making his way towards the headmaster's office, he half wonders whether or not he should report on everything that happened. The man, conscious of his age for the first time in a while, lets out a heavy sigh and comments out loud to nobody in particular, "I hope those kids can cheer him up before it's too late."

The loss of innocence at such a young age is very tragic indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

Ahh sorry for delay in posting. That final scene was killing me.

It may not look like much but it took a butt load of planning.

Anyways enjoy the show and feel free to review.

* * *

"I got through my classes somehow..." Negi walks though the courtyard of the school lost in thought. All the students had gone home for the day making the usually rowdy campus feel desolate and lonely. The cold chill in the air and menacing clouds that darkened the evening sky predicted the harsh rainfall to come.

"Looks like rain... I wonder if I should go home..." As if to answer his question, the marred and twisted remains of the bell that once adorned Asuna Kakurazaka's fiery red hair pinched and pressed up against the child's leg. What was once a symbol of strength and passion had been reduced to nothing more then a constant reminder of the young mage's greatest failures. The soft metallic chime that once inspired security had now become a deafening silence that brought about nothing but loneliness.

Negi silently mounts his magic staff and rides into the night towards the World Tree. Little did he know or rather little did he care that a pair of malicious eyes had been following his every movement, witnessing the careless mage's fanciful display of magic. The hidden figure sighs in disappointment before returning to the shadows.

**

* * *

****Knock knock**

The solid sound against the hardwood doors fills the room disturbing the tranquility of the large office. The elderly head of Konemon Konoe peaks up from the mountain of paperwork piled on top of the desk. "Come in" he calls out to his guest.

Mana Tatsumiya enters the office quietly walking towards the desk centered in the middle of the large room. The light colored shrine maiden robes she still wore seemed more out of place on her dark figure then they did in the room.

"Ah Tatsumiya-san, it's nice to see you again."

Mana bows her head respectfully, her calm face and unwavering demeanor masking her thoughts and feelings very well.

The headmaster quickly pours two cups of tea. He holds one of the cups up towards Mana. "Can I offer you a cup of tea Tatsumiya-san? I just brewed this pot moments before you arrived."

"You called for me?" she asks coldly ignoring the offer.

During the countless visits from Mana, she had never once accepted an offer for tea. A fact that the headmaster was painfully aware of. He, however, felt it was his duty to at least offer on the off chance she would accept.

"Business as usual I see." The kind smile the headmaster usually wore faded into a cold and emotionless face. It was not something many people saw without receiving some sort of horrible news. "We have a job for you. Because of recent events, the magic association has requested that we monitor Negi-kun. At least until it has been determined that he no longer poses a threat to himself or those around him."

"Payment?"

"The usual amount has already been delivered."

"Such a small job does not usually warrant a face to face meeting headmaster. Is there more?"

The headmaster shuts his eyes and sighs heavily. Ever since that fateful day, he often found the image of his heartbroken granddaughter haunting his thoughts. Was it really a good idea to offer such a delicate job to such a cold blooded woman? He had no doubts she would accomplish her mission efficiently and without problem, which was all the more reason he feared for Negi.

Mana watched the elderly man intently. His actions betrayed his thoughts, she had already been able to determine the special instructions before anything was said. She was not, however, the type of person that followed instructions for a job based solely on her intuition, even if it had never been wrong. "Headmaster?"

"The magic association has deemed Negi-kun a risk. Force has been authorized if you find it necessary. At worst, the target may need to be neutralized. The association does not want to risk an enemy with the potential of the Thousand Master to grow stronger."

Despite how prepared she was to receive the special instructions, the severity of the job still slightly surprised her. Her ice cold demeanor had not betrayed her surprise. "Understood."

The girl turned to leave but was quickly stopped by the weary old man. "Tatsumiya-san, consider this a request from a worried old man. Keep yourself safe but don't do anything too harsh to Negi-kun, if you can help it."

Mana once again bowed her head respectfully before dismissing herself from the room.

As she closed the door, her gaze fell upon Setsuna Sakurazaki who had heard the entire meeting. Their eyes met for only a second before Mana left to begin her mission. In that second, Mana understood that Setsuna planned on watching how things turned out herself while Setsuna understood that Mana did not care as long as she stayed out of her way.

* * *

The eerie silver light of the full moon peaked through narrow cracks of the dark sky illuminating the world tree in an unnatural glow. The heavy curtain of rain concealed a broken child from the harsh reality of the world. Its deafening roar emulating the child's heart.

The child held a card to his forehead desperately calling out for his partner. His countless attempts to summon her through the power of the now dead pactio card yielded the same result time and time again. "Asuna-san... what do I do now?" He stared blankly at the almost empty card silently hoping something would happen, anything.

If he had not been so engrossed in his world, he may have noticed the sudden change in temperature around him. Under different circumstances, he may also have been able to hear the faint sound of a spell incantation.

_Negi look out!_

The familiar voice jarred the young mage back to reality long enough to notice the jagged shards of ice soaring in his direction at an incredible speed. Without a second thought, the boy had already hopped off the branch narrowly avoiding the surprise attack.

Within seconds, he was safely on the floor scanning his surroundings for the location of his attacker. Had the pactio card activated and warned him of the impending attack or was it a hopeless delusion? He knew what he wanted to believe but he was smart enough to know that in his current state of mind it could have just as easily been wishful thinking.

Once again having been lost in his world, he failed to notice a young girl wearing a gothic dress shielding herself from the rain with an umbrella of the same style stepping out of the shadows. A menacing looking child's doll playfully followed closely behind trying to stay under the small umbrella. The girl's violent and hungry eyes followed the boy's confused movements as if she were tracking her prey.

The killing intent radiating from the helpless looking girl was strong enough to bring the boy back to his senses. "E...Evangaline-san! What are you doing here? Why did you attack me?"

"If you had been paying attention you would've noticed me hours ago." The hunger in her delicate features grew more intense as she noticed the blissfully confused actions of the boy. "I had hoped you would've snapped out of it by now, but I guess I overestimated you Boya."

"You almost had him too master!" the little doll chimes in while dancing around in a large puddle.

"What do you want Evangaline-san?" Negi asks coldly.

The girl and the doll burst into a sarcastic laughter. The doll pulls out a large cleaver and dances around playfully. "How rude! Can I kill him master?" she sings joyfully.

"What do I want? Is that how you speak to your master after all she's done for you?" Eva's hungry stare had become one of a predator ready to kill a helpless animal. She hands the umbrella to the doll and motions for her to stand back. "I've come for your blood to remove the School Hell curse."

Negi reels back in surprise. "Wh...what did you say? I thought we settled this already. I told you I would become a Magister Magi and remove the curse for you."

The young vampire moves into an offensive stance ready to attack. "Do you really think that's possible anymore with the way you are now? You'll probably end up dead long before you can manage this curse. I might be immortal but that doesn't mean I'm going to waste my time on trash like you."

"Evan...galine...san..." He lowers his head in defeat unable to find the words to prove her wrong.

"Try not to die too quickly Boya, I wouldn't want to drink cold blood."

Filled with fear, the boy runs for his life. His head marred with thoughts of death, preventing him from thinking clearly.

"_Lic Lac La Lac Lilac! Ice Spirits on High, Fill the Sky! Tundra and Glaciers on the Run from the Land of Midnight Sun! Frozen Earth!"_

Negi hops onto his magic staff retreating into the air avoiding the rising pillars of ice by mere seconds. The tips of the fast moving ice quickly closing the distance.

"_Rastel Maskil Magister! O Turning Storm of Spring! Bestow your Aerial Protection Among Us! Blow Forth, Wall of Churning Wind!"_

A powerful tornado engulfs the boy narrowly saving him from a cold jagged death. He falls to his knees petrified, unable to think, unable to react.

A bone chilling laugh echoes through the temporary fortress. "If that's the best you can do Boya then this won't last very long."

"_Lic Lac La Lac Lilac! Come Water, Dark Spirits! Darkness Obey, a Blizzard, Ice and Snow of the Night! Blizzard of Darkness!"_

A massive concentration of ice and darkness strikes the protective wind completely destroying the barrier. The boy is left standing helplessly watching as his executioner prepares to finish him off.

"You're nothing like your father."

Negi's eyes widen in surprise. That's right, it had been quite some time since he had thought of his father. It may have been due to the suddenness of Asuna's passing or possibly because he felt as though he was no longer worthy to aspire to be like his father. Either way, the mention of his father brought about feelings of much regret. It was at that point that he knew he was finished fighting. He could already feel the life leaving his body.

"Nagi was a strong man. He went through so much more than many people ever will and always came out on top." The young girl watched the pathetic shell her disciple and teacher had become with more pity then disgust. "I'm tired of playing with a weakling like you."

_She died because you're weak Negi Springfield._

The voice he had been hearing much more frequently echoed the singular thought that never left his mind. At times when found he could no longer ignore the voice, the effect it had on his already fragile state of mind was quite intense. Negi's breath became strained and shallow. His fists clenched to the point that his nails burrowed deep into his palms. His eyes, burning with the flames of defiance at the edge of sanity gazed intensely at Evangaline, The Apostle of Destruction. "I may be trash and I may have lost any chance of ever becoming like my father, but I will not let it end here!"

"_Rastel Maskel Magister! Come Wind, Thunder Spirits! Blow Violently with Thunder, Storm of the South Seas! Raging Storm of Thunder!"_

A massive collaboration of lightning and wind pierced the night sky in search of its powerful target. The girl, surprised by the boy's drastic change in attitude, is barely able to avoid the attack. "Hmph. It looks like the trash still has some fight left in him."

"_Rastel Maskil Magister. Magic Archer, Consecutive Blasts, 29 Arrows of Thunder! Magic Archer, Consecutive Blasts, 29 Arrows of Light!"_

The magic arrows quickly scatter into different directions finally homing in on Evangaline, who was already working on evading and destroying the arrows. "29 Light and Lightning arrows at the same time, not bad Boya. Your attacks really are powerful, but they lack finesse. They're way too sloppy to hit someone of my skill level."

"_Cantus Bellax!"_

Evangaline quickly turns around grabbing Negi's arm, successfully stopping the attack an inch away from her chest. She silently scolds herself for letting the inexperienced mage sneak up on her. "I see, so the magic arrows were to distract me long enough so you could sneak up and deal that finishing blow. If you had waited a second longer before activating the spell you would've gotten me."

"_A Stream of Light to Cut Through The Darkness, Spring Forth from my Hand and Throttle my Enemy! White Lightning!"_

At such a pointblank range, the powerful burst of lightning impales the girl's chest. The impossible victory belonged to the unlikely winner.

The girl coughs up blood as she struggles to laugh at the outcome of the fight. "Not bad Boya, not bad at all. I definitely was not wrong to think you had potential." She begins to struggle to breathe but refuses any help. "You may be good, but without a heart or a purpose, you'll end up dying like trash sooner or later. Which will you choose?"

"Evangaline-san, stop talking and let me help you. The fight is over, there's no need to push yourself anymore."

The girl pushes away and forces herself to stand up straight. She grins at the surprised look on the boy's face when a stream of bats start to regenerate the gaping wound in her chest. "If you think you've beaten Evangaline A.K. McDowell The Undying Mage, then you're dead wrong. I would run if I were you."

The boy takes a few steps back unsure of what to do.

"_Lic Lac La Lac Lilac. Heed the Contract and Serve Me, Queen of Ice..."_

Recognizing the incantation from the fight in Kyoto against the Demon-God Sukuna, Negi realized his only chance of surviving was to retreat to the sky and hope he was fast enough to get out of range of the spell.

"_...Come, Unending Darkness, Eternal Glacier..."_

The giant coffin of ice begins to materialize shooting upwards at an ever increasing speed. Faster and faster came the quickly forming ice, even at full speed it would still be a very close call.

"_...Bring Death to All that has Life, Eternal Rest..."_

Just when it seemed as though he would safely escape, a stream of magic arrows burst through the glacier striking the magical staff with several direct hits. The resulting impact knocked Negi further into the air at an uncontrollable speed. The strong force pushing against him causes the pactio card concealed in his pocket to come lose and plummet towards the glacier along with his magical staff. At that moment, he knew that he would only have a chance to save one of the items.

"_Rastel Maskil Magister! Blow, One Gust of Wind! Blow Forth, Dancing Dust!"_

Using the gust to quickly glide through the air, Negi makes a decision and recovers Asuna Kakurazaka's pactio card. For a second, time stands still as he watches the precious staff his father gave him become engulfed in the ice.

"_...End of the World!"_

And just like that, the glacier along with the staff he held so dear was gone. Shattered into a countless number of pieces, although it did not seem to matter anymore. The young man safely lands on the ground, with Asuna's card in hand, he stares out into the hopeful night sky.

The storm had ended and the sky began to clear. Negi looked up at the silver moon and silently vowed that he would never give up on trying to save Asuna. She had always been there to protect him. "I promise Asuna-san, this time I will protect you."

Evangaline walks up behind Negi and places her hand on his shoulder. "If that's your decision Boya then we have a lot of work ahead of us. Your special training starts tomorrow. Don't be late."

* * *

Off in the distance, Mana silently watches the results of the fight. "It appears as though this mission will not be as dull as I thought Sensei." She takes down some quick notes and disappears into the night, her presence already long and forgotten.

* * *

And with that ends chapter 2.

Look forward to more very very soon.

Same bat time same bat channel.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 has arrived... finally! Sorry for the super long wait.

I sat on it for a while revising it over and over until finally getting it the way i wanted it.

At any rate, enjoy and feel free to comment.

* * *

"...from the head I guess."

"I see. By the way, which side is the head? The fat side or the skinny side?"

"I think the skinny side is the head."

"I thought the fatter side was the head."

The casual conversation between the two friends is interrupted by the sound of a door creaking open. Pale light from the dorm hallway spills into the moderately sized room. The two girls sit on their beds in silence waiting for their unexpected visitor to come into view. After a few seconds, a child appears around the corner with a sheepish smile.

Konoka Konoe shoots up taking a few steps towards the child in disbelief. She inches closer slowly as if the child would run away if he were to be startled. Her apparent joy was only slightly hindered by the reminder of the painful memories she had been fighting very hard to cope with. The girl hesitantly reaches for the boy praying that she was not dreaming.

The child summoned as much joy as he could muster and simply smiles at his student. "I'm home."

The simple phrase, those two short words, were enough to tear down any hesitation the girl was feeling. In a flash, she had the boy in a monstrous hug. "Negi-kun... thank goodness." Tears well up in the girl's eyes. "I...I was so worried."

"It's ok now konoka-san, it's going to be ok."

The girl's embrace grew stronger and stronger, not wanting to give Negi the chance to escape ever again. The usually talkative and cheerful to a fault girl was beside herself with relief. She struggles hopelessly to find the many words she wished she could say, but in the end could only manage a single phrase. "Welcome home."

The ever cool headed Setsuna Sakurazaki sat quietly watching the spectacle unfold. The uncharacteristic smile she wore, however, had been brought on by the joy returning to her childhood friend rather then the safe return of their teacher. Having been raised with the notion of actions speaking louder then words, she knew her smile would be more then enough to convey her feelings.

The three talked late into the night catching up on anything that may have been missed. After all, it had been quite some time since they had opportunity to talk so candidly.

* * *

Negi slowly opened his eyes looking around the familiar room, the memories of the eventful night returning. The early morning sun was just starting to rise, filling the the room with a dim light. There were still a few hours before he had to get ready for work.

The boy tried to sit up but was finding it to be a chore. The arm of his over-protective student had wrapped around his body some time during the night. He fought fruitlessly against the girl's vice like grip for a few minutes before finally deciding to use magic. A few more minutes of clumsily rummaging through his belongings yielded a small practice wand with a childish yellow star.

"_Rastel Maskil Magi-"_

"Negi?" The incantation had awoken the girl from her seemingly deep sleep.

Negi silently scolded himself for what he hoped would not be a costly blunder. He had wanted to sneak out before any of his roommates had woken up. "Go...good morning Konoka-san." He laughed nervously hoping she would fall back to sleep without asking any questions.

Konoka rubbed her sleepy eyes while turning to look at the clock sitting on top of the desk. "What are you doing up so early Negi-kun? Don't tell me you have a paper route now too."

Knowing that the girl had healed enough to be able to joke so freely brought a smile to the child teacher's face. "N...no there's just something I need to do" he answered while quickly changing.

The tired girl slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, her disapproving frown telling the boy she would not let him leave so easily. "'Something'?"

He laughed again nervously, fervently assuring the girl that she need not worry. His heart skipping a beat as his glance fell upon his newest roommate. The young guardian had fallen asleep sitting on her heels in what looked like a meditative position. Her katana lay firm in her hands, half unsheathed and ready to strike at any moment. Negi idly noted how excellent her posture was while sleeping.

Konoka giggled at the sight of her childhood friend. "Don't worry Negi-kun, Se-chan always sleeps like that. It might not look like it but she's a heavy sleeper. The only thing that could wake her up right now is if I cried out for help or tried to leave the room."

Negi sighed in relief, Konoka he could deal with but Setsuna was a different story. He imagined she would have let him go but may have attempted to follow him. The task he was preparing for was something he did not want to do with a large audience, so was glad that he would not have to worry about it.

"Well then I had better be off or I will be late for class." Negi hurriedly left the room before Konoka could get another word in.

"Ah geeze, I'm wide awake now. Should I study or something?" Realizing she was now alone with her childhood friend, she grinned mischievously at the possibilities. "I'm sure Se-chan won't mind if I test to see how heavy a sleeper she is." The trouble making girl beemed with anticipation at the thought of her friend's embarassed face.

* * *

The large school was still quiet and empty. The early morning sun slowly prepared to welcome the eager children ready to learn.

Negi slowly walked around the campus surprised at how different the area looked from night till day. He slowly wandered the campus still half asleep, wishing for the convenience of his staff. Because of the suddenness of the previous night's fight, he had not given the details of the ending results much thought. What was he going to do now without his staff? He supposed he could always use one of his smaller childish looking wands. It would do for now but he would be at a disadvantage in a serious fight.

"Yaa! Yaa!"

The sudden cries of exertion pierced the child's thoughts suddenly replacing them with worry. Was someone being attacked? It was his duty as a teacher to find out and help. With that thought he hurriedly rushes towards the origin of the sound.

Gracefully dancing in the morning light was a lone student. Her dark skin and light hair glistening with sweat as she moved about fluidly transitioning from stance to stance. The young girl's traditional Chinese dress gently swayed with every movement. It was not until the girl performed a series of sweeps ending with a flip onto a ledge that he realized the girl had been practicing martial arts.

The girl, suddenly aware of her audience, calls out to the child teacher. "Negi-bozu! What you doing here so early?"

"Ku Fei-san, good morning!" The child scratches his head nervously. "I just had some business to take care of." The sparkle of amazement returns to his eyes. "Wow Ku Fei-san I had heard you were good at martial arts, but you were amazing! Do you practice out here every morning?"

"Of course!" she answers beaming with pride. "Chairman of Chinese Martial Art Club need stay in perfect form."

"Chairman? Wow amazing!" the child gushes over his student, his exuberance revealing the true maturity of his age. The nearly forgotten dilemma regarding his staff suddenly inspires an idea. "Ku Fei-san, will you umm... teach me Chinese Martial Arts?"

The young karate master stares at the eager child dumbfounded. "Teach you? I never have pupil before..."

The child stares at the girl intensely as if she were holding his Christmas present.

Awkwardly watching the child's very eager demeanor, she realizes that no matter how strong she was she would not have the strength to refuse his request. "So you want to be stronger then?"

"Yes."

"Ok, I teach you. But I warn you Negi-bozu, just because you child I not go easy. I train you very hard and not let you quit."

The child smiles happily. "Thank you Ku Fei-san! I better go, I have to do something before class begins." The child turns and begins to run off.

"Meet here early tomorrow!" she calls out after him. Ku Fei watches as the boy runs off into the distance waving his arm in acknowledgment. "I glad you finally feeling better Negi-bozu." The young karate master turns to leave when she notices a blue haired stalker poorly following Negi. She laughs to herself imagining what the boy would do once he noticed.

* * *

"The Mahora fest is still a ways away, I cannot believe I have to go in so early to start organizing the books." Yue Ayase lets out a heavy sigh at the troublesome situation. "Nodoka and Haruna are probably already there waiting for me." She releases yet another heavy sigh at the thought of her two friends and fellow Library Exploration members.

Ever since she had begun to develop feelings for her teacher, being around those two had become quite troublesome. Because of Haruna's keen gossip sensing abilities, she was forced to constantly stay on alert to keep the busy body from finding out about her crush. After all, it was only a crush. One that she hoped would go away eventually. Nodoka, on the other hand, had become almost unbearable in her passiveness. She had confessed to him and even kissed him! Why then was she just content with leaving things as they were? Could it really be considered love to be happy with just watching from a distance? Despite how hard she tried to help Nodoka further her relationship, she seemed to be comfortable staying where she was at. It was all so very frustrating! The very thought of it all angered Yue that much more. She let out a heavier sigh, knowing that neither Nodoka nor Haruna were at fault for the way she felt. What really bothered her the most were the implications of having such strong feelings in a matter that really did not concern her very much.

"...amazing! Ku Fei-san, will you umm..."

The very excited child-like voice of her teacher brought the troubled girl back from her deep thoughts. At the sound of his voice, the girl instinctively hides behind a nearby tree. "Ah it's Negi-sensei and Baka Yellow... wait, why am I hiding?" Despite feeling ridiculous for hiding from her teacher and fellow student, she decided to continue listening in secret.

"...Ku Fei-san! I better go, I have to do something before class begins."

"Something to do before class? I wonder what it could be." Before she could finish her thought, she was already in pursuit of her teacher. The girl moved haphazardly from tree to tree, ducking behind anything large enough to cover her small frame.

Before long, the girl found herself following the teacher on the path towards the world tree. Aside from a few minor incidents she was fairly certain the boy remained oblivious of her precense.

**Crack**

The normally insignificant sound echoed through the silence like a foghorn announcing her presence. She froze mid-stride glancing down at the small twig she had just trampled after which she quickly looked back up to see if she had been discovered. To her surprise, Negi was nowhere to be found.

Yue steps out onto the path furiously scanning the small area for any trace of the child. She was sure he had been there; there was no way he could have just disappeared.

A sudden bright light followed by the sound of quick moving feet caught the girl's attention. The source was directly behind her, where she had been hiding only moments before. A small dark figure suddenly comes into view heading straight towards her at an inhuman speed. Instinctively, Yue reaches into her bag and pulls out the thickest book she had, swinging it as hard as she could. She was not sure which surprised her more, the fact that she actually struck the figure while swinging with her eyes closed or that the figure had cried out like a child in pain.

She slowly opens her eyes only to find that the creature she had struck was none other then Negi. "Negi-sensei! I… I'm sorry, are you ok?"

The boy hobbles to his feet rubbing his bruised head. "Oh it's you Yue-san, I'm sorry for surprising you! I think I'm fine, my barrier absorbed most of the impact."

"Barrier?" she asks quizzically.

Having finally realized what he said, begins to stutter desperately looking for a decent excuse.

"Negi-sensei, this may not be the best time to ask but it really has been bothering me. Are you some sort of wizard?"

"Hahaha! Wha…wha…what was that Yue-san? A wizard? I don't know what you're talking about" he replies laughing almost hysterically.

The serious face Yue usually wore cracked a small smile, something that typically happened when the girl was preparing to rationalize a situation with cold hard facts. "The first time I started to really suspect your magical background was during out school trip to Kyoto, I saw most of what happened that night. After all, I was the one who contacted Kaede for help when everyone at the temple had been turned into stone. Then there are the many odd occurrences that have been occuring since your extravagant arrival as a child teacher. The strong gusts on days with no wind, the exploding clothes, the jumping off and up buildings, the list goes on and on. Shall I continue sensei?"

Negi slumps his shoulders and hangs his head in defeat. "I should have known I couldn't hide it from Baka Leader for too long." His expression becomes very solemn and distant. "There's something important I must do at the World Tree today. I'll explain it to you after if you don't mind."

Yue nods in agreement and follows her teacher the rest of the way. Despite the relatively short distance, the walk felt very long. Neither of them dared speak, not wanting to disturb the very melancholic atmosphere that had formed around them.

After what seemed like an eternity, the duo had finally arrived. Yue glanced around at the surrounding area noting quite a bit of damage. There were deep craters, half melted slabs of ice, and debris from various shrubbery and objects littered all around. Had this been from the storm last night? It had gotten pretty bad at one point, but she had never heard of a storm being able to cause this kind of damage.

While Yue's attention had shifted onto the mystery of the change in landscape, Negi approached the large tree staring dully at its magnificence. He was painfully aware of how familiar he had become with the tree over the past several days. After some time had passed, he walks over to the base of the tree kneeling on the ground.

Once her curiosity had been satisfied, Yue turned to see what Negi was doing. He still had not spoken a single word since she joined him causing her worry to slowly return. She walked up to where the boy was kneeling, he had dug a shallow hole and was holding a small metallic object. It took a few moments before she finally realized what the object was. "Sensei is that...?"

"Yes, it's Asuna's bell." he answers simply.

The innocent smile on the child's face was enough to silence Yue. She could feel the tears and overwhelming despair he desperately tried to contain. She placed her hands on the child's shoulders hoping the simple gesture would make up for the words of encouragement she knew she had no right to say.

Negi slowly lowered the twisted ornament into the shallow grave, gently placing mounds of dirt over the object. "Asuna was..." he hesitantly begins. "Asuna was more then just a student and a friend." The tears the child fought to hold back begin to finally break through. "Asuna was my partner."

"Partner?"

"I am what the magical society has titled Magister Magi, in training at least. In order for a Magister Magi to survive, they must choose a suitable partner, a Ministra Magi." He pulls out the dead pactio card and hands it to Yue. "Once the Ministra makes a pact with the Magister, the partner gains unimaginable power and a special artifact to protect their partner. They are the shield to our sword. The pactio process itself is a sacred ritual, not unlike marriage as many partners eventually end up married."

Yue stares quietly at the almost blank card of a smiling Asuna. "What will you do now that Asuna is gone sensei?"

The child stands up, brushing the dirt off his clothes and wiping the remaining tears from his eyes. The decisive look on his face and the way he stood gave Negi an appearance much older then his years. "The only thing I can do, move forward."

"Negi-sensei... I know I could never replace Asuna... but... I... I... Negi please allow me to be your Partner!"

Negi warmly smiles at Yue then looks away remembering his promise. "Yue-san... sorry. I made a promise that I would never risk the life of another of my students again. I have to become stronger on my own. I have to become stronger to protect her."

Yue begins to say something in protest but decides against it after seeing the boy's determined face.

"Come on Yue-san, class is about to begin." The silent duo quickly make their way to join the rest of the students of 2-A.

* * *

That concludes this chapter! Accidentally made it into something almost kind of resembling a NegiXYue.

Already working on the next few chapters semi-simultaneously.

Look forward to the continuing story!


End file.
